Loving You Slowly - Oneshot Version
by FaxFiction
Summary: After saving the world, marriage is an easy next step for Max. Rings aren't a big deal when you've shut down Itex. And this is Fang we're talking about. Fang! But it turns out that marrying your best friend - well, more like what comes after you marry him - is a little more daunting than Max expected.
1. Day Zero

The day passed by in a blur of smiling faces and congratulations. Max rushed through a giddy morning with Nudge's fingers pinning her hair and Angel's powder brushes playing across her face and butterflies in her stomach. She clutched at one elbow in discomfort as Valencia Martinez pressed her hands to her mouth in a teary sob, her fingertips all red after fighting with the 20-bajillion buttons in the back of Max's dress. It wasn't long before Iggy slipped into the foyer with a broad grin and hooked his elbow through hers to walk her down the aisle in her white satin dress. Well, really, it was Max who would lead Iggy down the aisle, but the sentiment was the same. They all figured that Iggy had the most right out of any of them to give Max away, aside from Fang. And Fang was otherwise occupied with tugging on the collar of his dress-shirt with one finger and hoping the 50 or so friends in the pews in front of him couldn't see him sweat.

Max laughed nervously as "We Can Fly Away" echoed into the empty foyer. Iggy ruffled his wings before settling them against his suit coat and turned his blind gaze to Max. "You ready?"

"Ih…" She cleared her throat roughly and tried again before settling for squeezing his hand in hers. Someone pulled open the door to the hall and Iggy smiled again, softer this time, and kissed her on the cheek before straightening up and taking a step forward.

Max stared furiously at the hem of her dress and felt her cheeks flush. They were halfway to the altar before she swallowed thickly and looked up to see the smiling faces of her coworkers at the CSM and the friends she and Fang made from his college and her mom and even Jeb. Further ahead stood Angel, who offered her a reassuring smile, and then Nudge, who was practically bouncing out of her shoes in excitement, both lovely in their bridesmaid's dresses. Max let her eyes skip over to the other side where Gazzy was rocking back on his heels with his hands in his suit pockets, waiting for Iggy.

And then there was Fang. Fang, her brother-for-life, with his bright eyes fixed on her and a blush across his cheeks. Fang, her right-hand-man, in a black tux and a feathered boutonniere, made from a few of Max's golden down feathers. Fang, her best friend, with the biggest grin she'd seen on his face since she said "yes" to the man on one knee. She grinned back with a surge of confidence and scrunched up her face at him, crossing her eyes, and purposely brushing against his arm as she put Iggy in his place as best man before moving to stand in front of Fang. He chucked softly and wiggled his eyebrows at her once as the officiant began.

The pair of 'I do's and the too-short kiss quickly dissolved into DJ Gazzy's 'Mad Beetz' and cake up Max's nose and icing in Fang's hair and hugs from every person in the room, at least twice. After their obligatory couple of hours, the two had collapsed at one of the corner tables to people-watch in silence.

"Hey." Max felt Fang squeeze her hand and looked up to meet his curious eyes. She sighed and squeezed back, looking up at the ceiling before rolling her head to the side to look at him sideways.

"I am _so_ over this party. All these people….and the music is _so_ loud…"

Fang grunted his agreement and stood up. He tightened his hold on her and began moving towards the side door.

"Hey!" She hissed, glancing back at the dancing guests as she was pulled away. "Where are we going?" She made a grab for the skirt of her dress, almost tripping and remembering so, so vividly why she never let Nudge or Angel buy dresses when they were kids on the run and fighting Erasers weekly.

Fang turned to her with a smirk and winked so quickly that she almost missed it. He slipped through the door and strode purposefully towards the front of the building. Max arched her wings behind her and dug her heels into the ground. "Hold it, buster! Where are we going?"

"To the car?" Fang gestured with his primary feathers to the limo parked in the drive.

She huffed and pinched her lips together, nodding towards the church. "What about goodbye?" Her eyebrows shot up. "That's all our friends back in there! And the Flock!"

Fang shrugged and turned to open the sleek black door. "We'll see them in a week. C'mon." He turned to kiss her softly on the bridge of her nose before guiding her into the car by the elbow, helping her to lift the train of her dress as she slid and shuffled along the leather seat. He disappeared for a moment to talk to the driver through the passenger window before slipping into the back of the limo next to Max and shutting the door.

"I can't believe we're leaving without saying goodbye. What's my mom gonna think? You know they bought sparklers for the send-off, Fang? Sparklers! Think of all the missed photo opportunities!" Fang stared at her for a second with eyebrows raised before they both bust out into laughter. Max scooted closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Psh, sparklers. Because fire and feathers are such a great mix." She laughed again to herself and closed her eyes, reveling in finally being alone with Fang.

That was about when it hit her. That she was alone. With Fang. On their wedding night, headed to a hotel suite, with nowhere else to be. She felt uncomfortably hot when he pressed his lips to her temple and quickly sat up. She turned and opened her mouth to speak but his lips were on hers, soft and warm and just so…_Fang._ Mint and aftershave and a little bit of leftover cake icing. Max turned her head and pushed lightly on his shoulder, wincing at his confused expression.

"I just…I ate so much fondu, you know, and I gotta…brush my teeth…"

"Seriously?" He laughed and brushed the loose curl behind her ear, thumb lingering on her cheek. "Max, we used to go for days without brushing when we were living in caves. Besides, I liked the fondu." He grinned at her and placed one hand on her knee, leaning forward, but she leaned back again.

"Fang, please, can't we just wait?" She blinked widely at him. "What about the limo driver?"

Fang sighed and sat back. One hand ran through his gelled hair and he smiled softly at Max. "Okay."

The rest of the limo ride passed in silence. Max fidgeted noisily with the seams on her dress before Fang reached out to ensnare her hands in one of his, squeezing her warmly and shifting so she could lean against his shoulder again.

When they got to the hotel, Fang slipped out first and Max tripped out behind him. She snatched the hem of her dress up off the pavement before heading inside and to the left for the stairs, heels clicking obnoxiously on the marble floors.

Fang stepped lightly behind her, eyeing her narrow heels. "No elevator?"

"Nope. Not even for this getup." She powered ahead and made a few neat turns before they stood in front of room 211.

Fang stood warm and close behind her as she swiped the hotel key card. The red lights glowed dimly. She swiped the card again, and again, and again, before rattling on the door handle with a little growl. Fang reached into his back pocket and pulled out his own key card. He flipped it deftly between this fingers and the door beeped and the lights flashed green and Max glared at him in mock-annoyance as he opened the door for her.

"M'lady." He gave a half-bow and smirked at her before placing one hand against the small of her back and leading her inside. Max shivered at his touch and skipped ahead to crash face-first onto the made bed next to the bags that Nudge had left there earlier that day. Her heels tipped off the ends of her toes and thunked onto the floor.

It was only a moment or two after she heard the door lock when she heard his tux jacket drop onto the chair and felt the mattress dip next to her. All at once Fang's hot breath washed across her neck behind her ear and he was kissing her tenderly, slowly lowering himself to lie next to her, one hand trailing across her shoulders and down her bare back towards….

Max jackknifed up onto her knees and felt her heart pound and looked down at Fang, half-lidded and mouth still open. He blinked twice before knitting his brows in concern, sitting up to face Max and brushing her arm lightly with his fingertips. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." She shook her head vigorously and slid off the edge of the bed, standing up and turning towards the bathroom. "I've gotta get out of this dress, I can hardly breathe."

Fang reached out for her wrist and began to pull her back onto the bed. "Let me help you with that."

Max whipped around, cheeks flushed, eyes wild. "I can do it myself!" Fang raised his palms in surrender and watched his new wife slip into the bathroom, arms wildly trying to reach the buttons behind her. He stood up to follow her but was met with the mirrored door shutting in his face.

"Max? Seriously, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, _Fang."_

"Oh, really? And that's why you're hiding in the bathroom on our wedding night in a dress that could stump Houdini?"

He frowned as he listened to her mutter on the other side of the door. He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms as she brushed her teeth. The faucet shut off and Fang could hear the ruffling of satin and a few more mutterings before Max let out a small shriek and something banged heavily in the tub.

"Max? Max!" Fang heard her groan pathetically. "I'm coming in." He pushed open the door and saw Max crumpled in the tub, legs hanging over the edge, leaning forward and cradling the back of her head. His gentle fingers checked over her skull before pulling back, satisfied that there would be no more than a bruise and a lump for a few hours. He knelt down in front of her and placed one finger under her chin, inviting her to look up at him.

"Are you crying?"

Max shrugged and took in a shuddering breath before staring at the lime-stained faucet, furious at the thick tears rolling down her cheeks. Fang sighed and reached around her to pick her up, carrying her back out to the bed and sitting down with her in his lap. He watched and crossed his legs beneath her, pulling her close. He pressed his hot mouth against her sweet lips, passionately, gently sucking and teasing her bottom lip with his tongue.

Max felt her heart begin to race as his lips trailed down to her neck and she felt suddenly claustrophobic. She all but jumped out of his arms, falling onto the floor. "Stoppit, Fang, just stoppit! Not right now! I can't do this right now, I can't...I can't _do_ this!" Her words caught in her throat and she swallowed frantically and wrapped her arms around her knees, leaning against the side of the bed.

Fang slid off the mattress to sit next to her, lips drawn into a frown. He listened to Max's shuddering breaths for a moment before saying anything.

"You can't do…_this?"_

Her nostrils flared and she scrunched her eyes shut. "My head hurts and my dress is suffocating me and I don't know what I'm doing, Fang, I can't do this!"

He eyed her stoically. "Cold feet?"

"What? No! Jeez, Fang, I….I choose you, I _choose_ you. It's just, we've only ever kissed, or, or made out, because we've always had somebody in the next room over or the Flock waiting or Mom asking questions whenever she sees us freaking holding hands. And I know what's supposed to come next but I don't know how, Fang! I don't know how we're supposed to go from just kissing to sex in one night. I don't know what you want me to do, or what's gonna make you feel good, or if I'm gonna be any good, or…"

Fang ran one knuckled down her arm and looked her in the eye. "Max, just listen, okay? I'm not demanding anything from you. I don't want you to 'give yourself to me.' And I don't want to 'take you.' And anyway, it's not like I know what I'm doing, either." He pecked her on the nose. "I waited for a year for you to kiss me back. I waited another three for you to say 'yes.' I waited another two for this," he played with the slim ring around her finger. "I can wait another few days for the rest of you. It's not a big deal."

She looked up at him with knit eyebrows and wide eyes. "But don't you want me to?"

Fang smiled and leaned his temple against hers. "Sure. More than anything. But I don't want to push you. I want to do it _with_ you. Together. I don't mind taking it slow. We've got a whole week, we'll figure it out together."

Max bit her lip and nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. "Baby steps."

Fang nodded firmly. "Baby steps."

"Okay." She suddenly felt the weight of her wedding and her vows and all the people they left behind, and it was exhausting. "Can we just go to bed? My head hurts and I am totally serious when I say I cannot be in this dress one more second."

Fang chuckled and stood up, pulling her with him. "Sleep sounds good."

Max's lips quirked up into a tight smile and she turned to the bathroom. Fang yawned and stretched and she paused, one hand on the door handle, before turning to look at him. "Fang?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you, uh, help me with these buttons? I can't really reach the ones beneath my wings."

He smirked at her. "'Course." His fingers deftly tugged at the buttons to let the top few free. Every few seconds they brushed lightly against her bare skin and she shivered. When he got to her waist, Max reached back to intertwine their fingers and turned to kiss him on the cheek, one hand holding the front of the bodice to her chest.

"Thanks."

Fang smiled down at her and she kissed his cheek again.

"I mean it. For everything. Thank you."

He smiled and pulled on her fingers before letting her hand fall and turning to rifle through his bag for sweats and a t-shirt. She let her dress pile on the bathroom floor around her feet and threw on shorts and a tank top before slipping back out to eye the queen sized bed in the middle of the room. Fang placed the bags on the floor at the foot of the bed and turned to look at Max again. He quirked his head towards the pillows.

"C'mon, _Mrs. Ride._ Come to bed with me."

Max raised her eyebrows and gave him a look, one hand playing nervously with the edge of her tank top.

"Oh, c'mon, Max. I meant what I said. About waiting. We'll just sleep tonight."

She padded across the hotel room floor to perch on the edge of the bed. She felt Fang's strong arm wrap around her waist and pull her to him. Her wings were drawn flat against her back and he drew her flush against him, breathing deeply into the crook of her neck before relaxing his hold and nuzzling her with his nose.

"I love you."

She sighed and gripped his forearm before slipping her hand into his and closing her eyes. "I'm glad I'm married to you." She felt him smile against her shoulder.

"Goodnight, Max."

"Goodnight, Fang."

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><p><strong>And there we have it! I have more ideas for the story, which escalates to a lemon across eight chapters (the next two are written already). But this chapter is clean and the dialogue is sweet so I wanted to post it as T first. Follow if you don't mind some citrus in future chapters, otherwise, you can call it a one-shot and let it be. Thanks for reading! <strong>


	2. Day One Preview

**Day One Preview - Rated T**

_A/N: In case you're on the fence about continuing to read because of the upcoming citrus, I wanted to give you a preview of the next chapter. The point of the story is citrus, sure, but there are compelling character moments the whole way through, and the buildup is slow and the writing tasteful. You can find the rest of this chapter and follow for future updates in the 'M' section of Max Ride FF. Happy reading!_

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><p>She heard crunching shells and shuffling sand before a shadow appeared with a dull thump and the clinking of ice. Max groaned and pushed her sunglasses to the end of her nose to peer up at Fang with narrowed eyes. "Who needs sun block when Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome wants to block the sun for you?"<p>

He looked at her with bright eyes and wiggled his hips down into the sand. "Handsome, huh?"

She was about to reply when she saw the two milky iced drinks that he was holding and sat up with a grin. Max grabbed one of the sweating glasses with her sandy fingers. "Thanks!"

Fang smiled and bent his striped straw to take a sip, swishing it around in this mouth for a second before swallowing. "I hope it's okay. I wanted to make lemonade, but I couldn't find any lemons. I figured the limes would work."

She leaned over to kiss him on the jaw and he turned to meet her, catching her lips with his. She felt his tongue run against her lower lip, cold from the drink, and parted her lips to meet him. He tasted of salt water and citrus and Max didn't complain when he pressed his glass down next to hers and rolled over on his hip to grip her smooth waist firmly with his free hand.

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><p><em>The rest of the story gets to go in the 'M' section, so please check it out if you'd like to read more!<em>


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